


The Girl With The Sunflower Tattoo

by peridoll



Series: Lapidot AU Week [2]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, F/F, Magical Realism, Magical Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-23 00:52:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15594612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peridoll/pseuds/peridoll
Summary: Lapidot Week Prompt 2; Flower Shop/Tattoo Parlor. Peridot gets her first tattoo, and it turns out to be more magical than she expected.





	The Girl With The Sunflower Tattoo

**Author's Note:**

> Phew, I finished this in time for Lapidot Week Day 2! This idea immediately popped into my head when I saw this prompt, so I knew I had to write it. It may be in for another chapter too, if there's interest? (Wowie, lots of people did florist Peridot and tattoo artist Lapis, huh?)

Peridot bumped open the back door with her hip, carrying two large trash cans full of dead leaves and petals, preened from the shop’s collection of flowers and plants. She struggled in the cramped alleyway to pop open the bigger trash bin lid, cursing to herself as one of the cans tipped over, scattering dried leaves all over the ground. The breeze was quick to steal them, sending them off into the street. She shrugged, dumping the remainder into the garbage. 

“Hey,” a voice called from above, and Peridot spun wildly to find the source. “Up here!” She craned her neck, using a hand to shield her eyes from the glaring sun. It was a girl, leaning out the 2nd-floor window of the building beside the flower shop. She waved, and even from below, Peridot could see her flashy smile. “Are you new?”

Still toting the trash cans under one arm, Peridot adjusted the front edge of her headscarf, and pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. “No!” she shouted in return, her voice echoing down the alley. “I’m just here for the summer, I’m helping out my aunt!”

“Oh, your aunt must be ol’ Blue then? I heard she was going in for-” The end of the girl’s sentence drifted away from Peridot’s ears as another gust of wind blew through the street. 

“What?!” she yelled back, cupping her hand around her mouth to make herself even louder. The girl in the window did the same, with both hands.

“I said; she’s going in for knees surgery, right?!” 

“Yeah, she is! I’m here to help her!” 

“I know, I heard that part! I just- ugh- hold on!” The girl slammed the window shut and disappeared. Hesitantly, Peridot poked back into the door, setting down her cumbersome load, and lingered. Soon enough, the window girl rounded the corner into the alley.

“As I was saying-” she continued, and stifled a snorty laugh, “You must be the Harvard niece?” Now that she wasn’t two stories up hanging out a window, Peridot could see all of the girl’s body. She wore polka dot shorts and a blue tank top, to match her bright blue hair. An entire tattoo sleeve of fish, waves, and other ocean-related things decorated her left arm, with a few unrelated pieces on her right. Even her legs were covered, and for a moment Peridot gaped in awe. 

“Wow, that’s so cool…” She shook herself out of her starstruck gaze, and puffed her cheeks in defense. “Guh, why does she have to spread the fact that I’m at Harvard to literally everyone?! Yeah, that’s me. Unfortunately.”

The girl, basking for a moment in Peridot’s awe, crossed her arms over her chest. “Why? That just means she’s proud of you. And she trusts you enough to take care of her store, apparently, which says a whole lot.” Even the girl’s feet were tattooed, exposed by her simple pink flip-flops. “I think that’s pretty cool, personally. You must be a real smartypants.”

Peridot rubbed the back of her neck, flustered. “It’s really not that cool. It’s rigorous as hell, and I basically don’t ever breathe, but I’m going somewhere else for my graduate studies.” The tattooed girl stared blankly through her, and she squirmed uncomfortably. “Exactly, it’s boring.”

“Oh no no, sorry. I didn’t mean it like that, I just totally space out whenever I start hearing about school. It’s the last thing I wanna go back to.” She covered a laugh with her hands, which also had tattoos; one on the top of her hand of a blue rose, petals falling down her wrist. Once again, Peridot’s jaw dropped. 

“Hey uh, can I see that?” Peridot pointed to the girl’s hand, but immediately retracted herself, taking a few steps back. “I don’t want to invade, but- you’re covered in tattoos.”

The girl huffed, cracking a small smile. “Thanks, Sherlock. I didn’t know,” she teased, and Peridot only blushed more. Still, she held out a hand for Peridot to see. Nervously, Peridot approached, examining the colorful ink.

“Wow… that’s…” Peridot’s eyes twinkled, as she took in the rest of the girl’s massive arm tattoo. Jellyfish and sharks and frogs all mingled together, dancing and swimming around the curvature of her lightly muscled arms. It went all the way up to her shoulder, and at the very top was the crest of a wave, and a small fishing boat floating on the sea. Even the night sky was detailed, a glowing moon and glittering stars. A hook hung from the fisherman’s boat, and led all the way back down to the girl’s forearm, where an unknowing fish bit the bait. “...Amazing.”

“You think? Aw, it’s nothing, really.” The tattooed girl winked. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a pair of blue goldstone gauges glimmering in the sun. “Just a little ink. Do you have any?”

Peridot shook her head, her face scrunching up. “God, no. My mother would murder me.” She rubbed her own bare arm bashfully, jealousy swelling in her stomach. “She has always been incredibly strict. No parties, no boys over, no staying out past 10 PM, and definitely NO tattoos or piercings.”

The tattooed girl pursed her lips, squinting skeptically. “Aren’t you an adult now?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m 22. But still-”

“But still?” the girl interrupted, “But still nothing. If you wanna get a tattoo, and there’s nothing stopping you other than your mom’s rule, then why wait? It’s art, isn’t it? Just like a painting, except you’re the canvas. I think once your mom sees how happy it makes you, she’ll get over it.”

Peridot grunted, distracting herself for a second by fixing the knot on her mint green headscarf, before throwing her arms up in defeat. “Fuck, you’re right. I really shouldn’t be afraid of what she thinks. She might faint, but she’ll be fine.” Now excitement bubbled under Peridot’s skin, and she hopped in place. “I’ve always wanted a big flower tattoo.”

“Oh yeah?” the girl raised an eyebrow, stroking her chin thoughtfully as she glanced Peridot up and down. “You think you could handle it, though? They’re pretty painful.”

“I’ve gotten in two car crashes, broken my arm twice, and have twelve metal plates in both of my legs,” Peridot countered, mimicking the tattooed girl’s lifted eyebrow. “Checkmate.”

The girl blinked in surprise. “Damn, well it’s a different kind of pain. But hey, if you think you can handle it…” The corners of her lips twitched into a mischievous smirk. “Maybe I can slip you into my busy schedule~”

“Would you really?!” Peridot’s voice cracked, and she quickly covered her mouth. “Fuck- I mean, only if you can. I don’t really care either way.” Her fingers twitched as she smoothed out her dirty apron, fiddling with the loose thread on the wide pocket. 

“I think you do care,” the girl teased again, “If you really want one, I’m down. I need to get some flower practice, anyway. I’ll even give you a half off discount.”

Peridot’s hazel green eyes lit up like light bulbs, and she pressed the sweaty palms of her hands to her face. “Seriously? You’d do that?!”

“Jeez, stop acting so surprised. I’m giving you an offer here, a really good one. Take it before I decide to say no.” 

“Yes, yes! Of course, yes!” Peridot wanted to kick off her shoes and go bolting down the street. The notion of getting a tattoo had never excited her so much, but seeing the girl’s ink inspired her. It was as she said; walking art. All of the people gawking over it, complimenting it, and the satisfaction of looking down at any time to gaze at a piece of artwork… What could be better?

“I’m Lapis, by the way,” the tattooed girl finally introduced herself, and held out a hand. There were some graphite smudges on the side of her palm, and a few platters of dried paint along her wrist; all the signs of an artist. 

Peridot took her hand, giving it a solid shake. “Peridot.”

 

* * *

 

 

Before she knew it, she was sprawled out in the leather chair, which reminded her sickeningly of a dentist chair. The room smelled of rubbing alcohol, something indistinguishable but sterile, and coffee beans. To the side on Lapis’s work desk, a Keurig machine gurgled away. The room was plastered with sketches of geometric animals, landscape views of the ocean, and some colored pieces of bugs and plants. As she waited anxiously, Peridot scanned the room, taking in each drawing in stunned awe. Lapis sat at her desk, finishing up the details of her very own tattoo design. Her stomach flipped at the thought of finally having a tattoo. She mentally checked it off her bucket list.

“Alright,” to break the silence, Lapis rose from her desk with the design and moved over to the printer. “You ready?” She shot a glance over her shoulder at Peridot, wiggling an eyebrow playfully. 

“Not really, no,” Peridot admitted, folding her hands on her lap. She appropriately chose to wear shorts with small, pink flowers on them, and she had also stuck a few daisies into the folds of her headscarf. She braided the side of her hair for the day, and pinned the end to the inside of her scarf. 

“You’ll be fine, I promise.” With an evil little giggle, Lapis brought the design over to Peridot’s side. She showed it off, and Peridot stared down at it, her foot shaking restlessly. “You like?”

In disbelief, Peridot nodded. “It’s… perfect. Exactly what I was imagining.”

The design featured a sunflower, to go at the very center of Peridot’s upper arm. The sunflower was surrounded by lilies, roses, and poppies, as well as a few lavender sprigs and ferns. It was busy, with so many tiny details, including a couple bees and a spider, but it felt so right. She wanted it on her skin right that moment. 

As Lapis gathered different pots of ink, lining them along her workstation, she pulled up her chair and sat down. After positioning the temporary outline on Peridot’s skin, and letting it dry, the tattoo needle gun was out. Instinctively, Peridot flinched. 

“You know, I never considered the fact that I have a crippling fear of needles.” Peridot let out a tense laugh, sweat already dripping down the back of her leg. 

Taking note of her sudden anxiety, Lapis lowered the gun out of view. “It’s actually very different from a regular needle, if that makes you feel any better,” the girl comforted, and reached over for a remote. “I’ve had people come in who are just like you. Drop dead terrified of needles, but they end up watching the entire thing as I do it. Just remember, it’s not like I’m inserting anything directly into your vein, that’s not my goal. I’m just aiming to the deep layers of your skin.” 

“Wow, thanks,” Peridot replied, exasperated. “That makes me feel a whole lot better.”

“Here-” Lapis handed her client the remote, hiding an amused smile. “Find something to watch, it’ll keep you distracted.” Begrudgingly, Peridot took the remote and pressed the pre-installed Netflix button. The TV, nothing big or fancy, sat on the shelf in front of the chair, surrounded by a family of glass dolphins. She flicked through some movies, before settling on one that was in Lapis’s previously watched list. Beetlejuice, a movie she recalled fondly from her childhood. 

“Oh, sweet, good pick. I just watched that with my roommate the other night.” Lapis squirted her hands with some hand sanitizer, before slipping on a pair of black latex gloves. “We live on the third floor of this building, which is nice. It’s a short commute.”

Suddenly small talk seemed too difficult, as Peridot’s nerves churned in her stomach, so she only offered a small “oh, cool.” 

“Listen,” Lapis placed a hand on Peridot’s shoulder, deep blue eyes stern. “If you need to stop for a break, let me know. I have a jar of candy if you have a sugar crash. But I swear, it’s not gonna be as bad as you’re imagining.” The tattoo gun whirred to life, as the movie rolled through the intro credits. Peridot swallowed hard and tried her most convincing smile, which stretched painfully across her face. “Ready?” A short nod. 

 

Lapis was right. The very first contact of the needle gun startled her, a strange sensation against her skin. It almost tickled, but in the most uncomfortable way possible. She could feel it, like a bunch of prickly pines, as Lapis dragged it across her skin. Already, her body was freaking out, sweat beading across her forehead. But she stayed focused on the movie, eyes glued to the screen for a solid half hour before she finally braved a glance downward.

For the rest of the time, Peridot switched from watching the movie to watching Lapis work, occasionally catching the tattoo artist’s eye. They’d exchange smiles, maybe a joke or two, but the time flew by. She picked a secondary movie, something lighthearted and animated, for the remainder of the appointment, and before she could blink, the appointment was over. 

“Go ahead and look,” Lapis prompted, motioning towards the full-length mirror leaning against the wall beside the window. Peridot stood, legs shaky and soaked with sweat, and approached.

She stood there, staring at the fresh, bright ink on her arm, for nearly two minutes, admiring it, observing every tiny detail, down to the tiniest bug. “Wow…” was all she could manage to say. Reluctantly, Lapis wrapped her arm up in plastic, and sent her off.

She walked down the stairs after paying Lapis in a daze, stumbling into the street like a drunkard. By that time, it was nearly 8 PM, and the sunset was closing in. 

That night, she slept on her opposite side and took great care not to touch the fresh ink at all. She ached, her skin raw and sensitive, but she fell asleep content.

 

* * *

 

 

Peridot was jolted awake by something crawling across her face, and she swatted at it frantically. Blonde hair messy and drool dried at the corner of her mouth, she rubbed her groggy eyes, feeling something silky tickle her cheek. She gazed at her bedroom, and it took a moment to process what was before her.

A sunflower had sprouted, stem still attached to her shoulder, and dragged itself toward her open window. Rose petals covered her like a blanket, poppies scattered among her dirty clothes on the floor, and a lily sat in her lap. She cupped it in her hands, but it vanished into a thin smoke. She picked up a fistful of the rose petals, but the same thing happened to them as well. The girl glanced down at the culprit; her tattoo pulsed with a strange light, and when she grazed a finger along her skin, it stopped. The sunflower wiggled on the floor, before succumbing to the same fate at the other flowers, leaving no trace of the strange occurrence. Peridot blinked. Maybe she was still dreaming.

She let confusion cover her like a slowly falling sheet of snow, and just as she was about to swing her legs out of bed and rise for her morning routines, her tattoo burst out another tornado of flower petals. She gasped, tossed back from the force of the explosion, and tried to cover her tattoo as even more petals streamed out from the ink. “What the fuck?!” she finally exclaimed, but quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. She had two roommates, who probably wouldn’t appreciate her screaming at 6:30 in the morning. She left her room as the storm of petals settled, draping over everything.

Even as she stood at the sink to brush her teeth, she fought to keep back ferns from taking over the bathroom, and the lavender sprigs popped off of her skin and landed on the counter. She propped them up in the toothbrush holder, and they didn’t vanish into smoke. They stayed, and made the bathroom smell lovely. In fact, Peridot could smell nothing but fresh flowers, like being in the midst of the flower shop. Except here, the entire flower shop threatened to materialize from her arm. Which certainly didn’t seem normal.

The reality of the situation dawned, and Peridot hurried to throw on a t-shirt, despite the scorching heat predicted for the day. The sleeve covered her tattoo, and blocked anything else from forming. She also grabbed the first scarf she could and messily wrapped her untamable mop of hair into it, to at least keep it out of her face. Strands immediately stuck out, poking out at the nape of her neck and at the side of her face. She raced down the hallway towards the front door of her apartment-

“Hey, you!” It was her roommate, perched at the kitchen table with a mug and the newspaper. She glared at Peridot over her round frames. “What are you doing up some early? And what were you yelling about?” 

Peridot tugged on her sleeve, concealing the very bottom part of her new ink. “Nothing!” she rushed to say, but her roommate wasn’t buying it. “Holly, I swear, it was nothing. I just… got excited… about… work? I’m gonna go in early to… water some plants.”

Her roommate shot a scrutinizing look down at her PJ pants. “Looking like that? I sure hope not. Doesn’t the shop open at 11?” 

Peridot’s face burned from guilt. “Uhhh… Yeah. I-I actually  _ don’t  _ work today, but I thought I’d go in and help before we open.” Her roommate wasn’t buying it  _ at all _ . But she gave up and sighed, running a hand down her exhausted face. 

“Fine, please bring the trash down on your way out.” 

 

Peridot jogged down the sidewalk, running past the sign of her aunt’s flower shop, that read  _ Blue’s Flowers _ , and skidded to a stop in the alleyway. The third window up was open, and she could only hope it was Lapis’s. “Hey, LAPIS!” she yelled, and waited for a response. “LAPIS, there’s an EMERGENCY!” Still nothing. “LA-” 

The tattoo artist slung herself out the window, arms dangling. “Peridot, it’s 7 in the goddamn morning!” she screamed back down, voice groggy even at a loud volume. “Can’t you wait?!”

“NO!” Peridot shrieked back. “Something’s happening with my tattoo!!” 

“Is it infected?!”

“Uh…” Carefully, Peridot lifted her sleeve to take a look at her fresh ink, and another poppy came fluttering out. “N… no?! I don’t think so!”

“Then what’s the matt-”

“WHAT?! I can’t hear you!!” The window slammed shut, and a minute later Lapis stormed out of the building and met her in the alleyway. The tattooed girl was also in her PJs, which made Peridot feel a little less out of place. Her blue hair, combed so smooth and neat the previous day, now looked like matted dog fur. 

“Okay, now talk to me,” the artist growled, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Well uh… I think I just have to show you.” Lapis raised a quizzical eyebrow, and Peridot peeled back her sleeve once again, this time rolling it over her shoulder to expose the entire tattoo. 

On cue, life burst from the ink once again, the sunflower’s petals peeking out first, followed by the leaves of a fern, and another spray of rose petals. 

The artist leaped back, pressing against the brick wall of the building behind her. “Whoa! What did you do?!”

“What did  _ I  _ do?!” Peridot repeated, waving her arms in the air. The sunflower grew, stretching above her head to reach for the sun’s early morning rays. “What did  _ you  _ do?! You’re the one who tattooed me!”

“Well,  _ I _ didn’t do this! What, are you a magician or something? Is this a prank?” 

“No, this is  _ very  _ serious! And  _ you  _ need to fix it!” Full roses now extended towards Peridot’s face, the thorns pricking her skin. “What do I do?!”

“I don’t know, don’t ask me!” Lapis stepped closer, plucking one of the roses from Peridot’s arm. She winced. “Actually, you know what…” The artist buried her nose into the flower and sniffed at it. “I think I know what this is.”

“Please, tell me, I want this to stop.”

Lapis paused, pinching the end of the rose’s stem, causing it to poof into smoke like the ones in Peridot’s room. “It’s… complicated.” She grabbed Peridot’s hand and dragged her towards the front of the building, the sunflower swiftly retreating back into the tattoo. “Come inside.”


End file.
